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Top baby names of 2022 trend toward cowboys, nature and 'coastal granny': report

Here's a sample of the "most popular" baby girl and baby boy names of 2022 and emerging name trends, according to BabyCenter, a leading parenting media company.

A popular parenting resource has identified top baby names and shifting trends after consulting hundreds of thousands of parents who named an infant in 2022.

BabyCenter, an online media company under the Everyday Health Group – Pregnancy & Parenting (EHG P&P), released a baby name report based on responses it received from parents who welcomed "about 416,000 babies" this year from Jan. 1 through Nov. 1.

Researchers at BabyCenter analyzed the submitted names and narrowed down the top 100 names for newborn girls and boys. 

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Emerging trends were also identified by the "2022 Most Popular Baby Names" report.

The top 10 names for girls are Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella, Luna, Mia, Charlotte and Evelyn.

"Evelyn is the only new baby girl name to crack the top 10 in 2022 – pushing Harper out," BabyCenter wrote in its report.

The name Isabella moved up one spot compared to last year’s list while the name Luna moved up two spots and Charlotte moved down three spots, according to BabyCenter.

1. Olivia

2. Emma

3. Amelia

4. Ava

5. Sophia

6. Isabella

7. Luna

8. Mia

9. Charlotte

10. Evelyn

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Name trends BabyCenter noticed for girls include uplifting nouns, references to nature or astronomy and names that seem to fit the "coastal grandmother" trend, which is a fashion and style aesthetic that people associate with wealthy middle-aged women who live near a beach.

The "utopian" and "optimistic" noun names that are trending upward are Dream, Alora (Latin for "dreamer"), Miracle, Legacy, Heaven and Destiny.

Popular names related to nature or the sky include Oaklynn, Violet, Willow, Iris, Meadow, Juniper, Ivy, Nova, Aurora and Lyla (Hebrew for "night beauty").

Rising coastal granny names include Rosemary, Mae, Eloise, Mabel, Hazel, Ada, Alice and Adeline.

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The top 10 names for boys are Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, Mateo, Lucas, Levi, Asher, James and Leo, according to BabyCenter.

"Two new boy names did enter the top 10: Mateo jumped from 11 to five, pushing Lucas down into the sixth spot, while Levi shifted from six to seven," BabyCenter wrote in its report.

The names Liam, Noah, Oliver and Elijah maintained their spots in the top four while the name Leo moved up two spots compared to last year’s list. Mason and Ethan fell out of the top 10, according to BabyCenter

1. Liam

2. Noah

3. Oliver

4. Elijah

5. Mateo

6. Lucas

7. Levi

8. Asher

9. James

10. Leo

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Name trends BabyCenter noticed for boys include the letter X, references to nature-based nouns and names that remind people of western cowboys.

Three X names that rose for boys are Maddox, Jaxton and Onyx. The nature names that grew in popularity are River, Legend, Atlas and Wren.

The western cable TV show "Yellowstone" might have influenced parents in 2022, according to BabyCenter.

Rising "baby names from the wild west" reportedly include Dutton, Kayce, Rip, Stetson, Waylon, Walker, Wyatt and Maverick.

BabyCenter reports that "cowboy culture" has extended to boys and girls with parents opting to choose names after states, such as Texas, Montana, Dakota and Arizona.

Celebrities and pop culture may have had an impact on the names parents chose for their children in 2022, BabyCenter’s report suggests.

The name Elon was "this year’s fastest falling baby name" and BabyCenter says it might be related to Elon Musk.

A similar drop in popularity was reportedly seen in the names Will, Jada and Chris post-slap at the 94th Academy Awards. 

The name Amber "fell 176 spots in 2022" and the name Johnny "rose 16 spots" after the high-profile defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, BabyCenter reports.

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BabyCenter’s name trend report found a link between baby names and tennis stars with the significant rise of Serena (linked to Serena Williams), Venus (linked to Venus Williams), Naomi (linked to Naomi Osaka), Coco (linked to Coco Gauff) and Roger (linked to Roger Federer).

The parenting resource also found upward trends in names from Disney’s "Encanto" – Mirabel, Alma, Julieta and Bruno – and Marvel’s "Spider-Man" franchise – Parker, May, Mary Jane, Michelle, Ned and Otto.

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BabyCenter's report reiterated that it sourced baby name data from BabyCenter users. The platform went on to say that its parent company, EHG P&P, reaches 91% of families experiencing first-time pregnancies and 85% families experiencing pregnancies in the U.S.

For more stats on name trends, visit babycenter.com/baby-name-trends.

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